A purple 1971 Dodge Charger that sat for years in the Texas panhandle is at $21,300 with 12 bids on eBay as of Tuesday, Oct. 6, and the seller's reserve has not been met. The seller, eBay user spoilerecw in Eakly, Oklahoma, calls it a factory FC7 Plum Crazy survivor with 77,042 miles on the odometer, a 383 two-barrel V8, a 727 automatic and a clean Oklahoma title. Bidding closes Sunday, Oct. 11, and eBay's extended-bidding rule means any bid in the final minute resets the clock to 60 seconds.The Charger as photographed for the listing. Photo: eBay seller spoilerecwA California Car That Ended Up on the PlainsThe seller's description traces four owners. The first, a woman in Hesperia, California, died in the early 2000s, according to the listing. Her niece in Oklahoma inherited a car that had been sitting for a long time, decided getting it running was too big a job, and sold it to a man in the Texas panhandle. He rebuilt the engine around 2010, drove the car 30 miles home and parked it again. The current seller says he bought it from that man a few months ago, as part of a package with a 1970 Charger.The car on a trailer, in dust. Photo: eBay seller spoilerecwThe listing flags it as a California car and gives the sales code N95, and the seller says the fender tag is in place and photographed. He says the car was repainted once in the 1980s because the California sun had thinned the paint on the trunk lid, but that the paint under the hood, in the trunk and in the door jambs is nice. Inside is a white C2XW bench seat with one tear in the driver's side, which he taped, and a V4W white vinyl roof. He says the headliner has a few small holes where a mouse chewed it, and the dash is cracked in a couple of spots.White bench seat and dash, with the taped tear the seller describes. Photo: eBay seller spoilerecwWhat "Original" Covers and What It Does NotThe seller calls the car all original, with its original engine and transmission, and the same description says the motor was completely rebuilt around 2010. Both can be true if "original" means the block and the transmission that left the factory, but a buyer paying survivor money should read it that way. The odometer is a second question. The listing shows 77,042 miles, and the seller also says the speedometer is off. He adds that the paint has plenty of chips and scratches but is "real good driver quality", and that the factory spare may never have touched the ground.The 383 two-barrel V8 under the hood. Photo: eBay seller spoilerecwThe seller also lists what does not work or needs attention. The AM radio is inoperative, the power steering leaks a little at the gearbox, and the car needs an alignment. The right front tire toes out, and the front end felt squirrelly in a 30-mph Oklahoma wind at 65 mph. The tires were new 15 years ago and are flat-spotted from sitting. He says he bled the brakes, changed the oil, cleaned up the carburetor and put in a new battery, and that he has driven it only about 10 miles on a test drive. The factory manual drum brakes, power steering and air conditioning are all there, he says.Why the Fender Tag Does the Heavy LiftingPlum Crazy was one of the high-impact colors Dodge introduced for 1970, and the 1971 Charger was the first of the redesigned third-generation cars. The seller says a high-impact color on a standard two-door hardtop is rare and puts production of that combination at around 800. I could not confirm that figure from a Dodge or Chrysler source, so it stays the seller's claim.Proving it falls on paperwork and the car's own tags. eBay's listing page says a vehicle history report is not available for this car, and lists reasons including that the car was built before 1981 and may not have a 17-digit VIN. That leaves the fender tag, any build documents and an inspection to separate a Plum Crazy Charger from a purple one. The 383 two-barrel also sits well below the 440s and Hemi that Dodge offered in 1971, so the color is carrying more of the value here than the engine is.The fender tag photo from the listing. Photo: eBay seller spoilerecwWhere $21,300 Sits Among Other eBay ChargersOther Chargers on the same eBay page show how loose the range is. A 1971 Charger with 100,000 miles is asking $19,900, a 1972 Charger with 80,000 miles stood at $6,000 with no bids, and a 1974 Charger with 87,611 miles is asking $25,500 or best offer. Those are asking prices, not sales, and none of them is documented as a Plum Crazy. The reserve on this car is a number only the seller knows. "Reserve not met" says the high bid is below it, and nothing else.Undercarriage photo from the listing. Photo: eBay seller spoilerecwThe seller says there is no rust and describes it as hard to find a factory car that has not been tampered with. For comparison, Backfire News has covered a 1973 Charger SE barn find that came back to market after its owner walked away from a restoration, and a 1970 Charger R/T dealer demo with a factory V21 hood. This one sits between a project and a finished car.The auction ends Sunday afternoon, and the final minute of bidding decides whether the reserve is ever met. Does a 2010 engine rebuild and a 1980s repaint disqualify a car from being called an unrestored survivor, or does a Plum Crazy Charger this untouched still earn the word?⚡ Read the full article on Backfire News